This invention relates generally to commercial trash compactors of the type usually found in apartment buildings. More particularly, this invention relates to trash compactors that allow a trash bin to be loaded and then uses a ram to compact the trash within the trash bin.
Collecting and transporting trash from urban areas has become a major industry throughout the civilized world. Because trash must be transported from urban areas to areas where it can be left in landfills or otherwise disposed of, an important function in transporting trash is to first compact it so as to reduce the volume required to transport a given weight of waste material. Trash compactors have been utilized in trash transfer stations where trash is brought by vehicles that collect it in urban areas and reprocessed and placed on larger vehicles for long haul transportation to remote landfills or other disposal locations. The trash compactor of the present invention contemplates an efficient compacting device in which trash is loaded into the top of the compactor and a pie-shaped ram is rotated around to compact the trash in a bin associated with the compactor.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a top loading trash compactor which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a top loading trash compactor for use in multistory apartment buildings.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a top loading trash compactor that compacts and stores trash with substantially no leakage.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a top loading trash compactor that compacts and stores trash that can utilize a trash container or dumpster that has a plastic lid.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a top loading trash compactor that compacts and stores trash that may use a key start and/or an emergency stop button.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a top loading trash compactor that stores trash that has at least one indicator light that indicates when the trash container is, for example, eighty percent and one hundred percent full.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a top loading trash compactor that stores trash that may utilize a variety of different trash storage containers or dumpsters.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a top loading trash that is capable of accepting dumpsters designed for either front end loading trash trucks or rear end loading trash trucks.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a top loading trash compactor that stores trash, that may be operated manually by a switch or automatically operated upon trash being deposited or when the container is full to a certain volume, for example, using a photoelectric sensor.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a top loading trash compactor that stores trash that utilizes a minimum a floor space.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a top loading trash compactor that requires a minimum number of compactions when filling the bin, thereby saving energy and wear and tear on the components of the trash compactor.
Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a top loading trash compactor that requires compacting only when the bin is substantially full and does not require compacting after only a small amount of trash, e.g., one or two bags, is placed in the bin.
These and other objects of this invention are achieved by providing a top loading trash compactor for compacting trash in a container. The trash compactor includes a packing head, rotatably mounted to a frame about an end of the packing head. A power unit is provided for providing power to rotate the packing head, via a driver, from a first position to a second position, the first position allowing trash to enter the container and the second position causing the trash to be compacted within the container. The frame holds the apex of the packing head above the container. Preferably, the packing head is pie shaped and rotates about the apex of the pie-shaped packing head.
The power unit is preferably mounted to the frame. The driver is preferably a hydraulic cylinder or a pneumatic cylinder or an electric motor. A shear blade adjacent to the packing head may be provided to shear off any trash entering the system from the packing head as the packing head is rotated. A wiper to assist in clearing trash off the packing head as it rotates may also be provided. Preferably, the packing head is a quarter cylinder and may move from the first position approximately ninety degrees to the second position.